Icarus
by Araceli L
Summary: The Sacred Realm is in turmoil. Hylia struggles with understanding who she is, especially when Din and Farore's chosen ones are with them, but trouble much deeper than emotion is brewing - terror beyond anything the goddesses have ever known. What more must Hylia sacrifice to save the people she loves so much? How close must she fly to the sun before her wings burn? (Art not mine!)
1. Chapter 1

**Iscariot**

Gods weren't meant to bleed.

I wasn't meant to be hurt. I wasn't supposed to be lying here, dying, lions ripping apart my flesh, stranded and alone as I faced my destiny.

Gods weren't meant to have mortal affairs, mortal feelings, mortal wishes, mortal wants…

_Want._ Had I ever done what I wanted? Or had I only done what they asked me to?

The three of them, standing there, watching from above, shaking their perfect heads in disdain, all mouthing _Hylia you fool_ over and over in their perfectly synced way.

_Hylia you fool._

The three of them, the three golden goddesses, leaders of all. Perfectly sculpted bodies, oddly distorted as my vision skewed, all of them appearing to almost fall over me as I felt my skin shredded by ravenous teeth, lies, all lies, all lies…

_Hylia, you fool._

Forgive me, Link…

To wake up in another life was always disorienting. It was never quite something I would get used to, and similarly, finding myself back at home in the Spiritual Realm was never quite the same. I say home in the loosest of terms - I did know my sisters no longer considered me a goddess on their terms, both because of and despite the mortal blood in my immortal veins - but I considered it home. My spirit always found its way back here, despite the different forms my body would manifest itself in. Sometimes I was Nayru's chosen, the sweet maiden, and in this body I would sit peacefully by the violet streams, tasting the flowery breeze on my lips, and sometimes Farore's chosen would come sit beside me, and the two of us would spend timeless moments silent. Sometimes the sweet boy came back as a youth, a fairy bouncing about his head. Sometimes he came as a strong, silent man, but no matter how he came, he always recognized me with a joy that would not have been possible in the earthly realms, a boundless, free mirth that would have made me tear up had it been possible in the Spiritual Realm.

But other times, I was Hylia. My sisters, in their divine power, allowed me to keep my old body, and my old name, whenever I was called back, but no longer allowed me to be called by the title of what I once was. I accepted it gladly. I did not know their game, nor their plans, but I had never regretted my sacrifice. Yet I sometimes wondered if my older sisters only allowed me back into the Realm because Nayru cared especially for me, as both the reincarnation of her chosen and her youngest sister - Farore seemed, at least through some link to her chosen, to at least care a little, but Din simply ignored me. I had grown used to her fiery disposition, but it never hurt any less when my sisters would welcome me back with wreaths of lilies and loving kisses, but Din would stay far behind, offering only a nod as if we had seen each other yesterday, not a century ago.

I suppose, however, when you're a goddess, time means little. Most things mean little. Farore once looked at me, eyes indicative of curiosity at Link's head resting toward my collarbone, breathing deeply, asleep. Without speaking, she asked me what he meant to me. Why he meant anything to me.

_He is only a hero, Hylia_, she said, ending the stream of thoughts and ideas between our minds. _You cannot get so attached._

_He is _your _chosen one, Farore! How can you not be grateful?_

She shrugged carelessly. _He is merely a tool being used properly. His personality, his spirit, while worthy of the task, are yes, special in this sense; but he is nothing more than this eternal spirit. He is not the boy you know on earth._

I clutched him to me possessively. _You don't know him, Farore. I do._

Her golden eyes glowed, and I read sadness, pity, in her eyes and mind.

_Oh, but Hylia_, she murmured. _How you don't._

I would hear my sisters conversing about me. They made no attempt to hide it. Nayru, in her divine wisdom, would stay silent, and in these times she shielded her true thoughts away from us. Farore always had her chosen in mind, and despite her words, her thoughts seemed to express her true concern for the boy. Din would argue, as she always did. And we all supposed she did have some things to be angry about.

It was no secret that Demise's spirit had corrupted her chosen one. It hurt Din, more than she would admit to us. It hurt her, to see the man she put her own faith into, fail. Even before he had stolen our relic through Demise's lust, she had chosen him, hoped to lead him away from that insatiable desire, but felt that she had failed him. True to her nature, when he joined us in that sacred realm, she ignored him.

Only parts of him were allowed, the parts still pure, the parts still made of man and not monster. When he came, he was always that man. He never changed. His hair was as fiery as Din's, skin a warm bronze. He always smelled of desert sands, a warm, comforting scent, and his golden eyes seemed to reflect his goddess'. He would see me, smile brightly, both of us cleansed of our parts on earth. He and the boy would play endless games, laughing. Ah, the bliss of the two, in this divine Garden of Eden, a garden where our sins were forgotten, and he was no longer the King of Evil. I was not Princess Zelda, and he was not the Hero of Legend. Here, in this beautiful lie, we were not our earthly counterparts, destined in an eternal struggle, but beings bonded by courage, power, and wisdom. They knew not who we were, or where we were, for they never questioned. They lived in ignorant bliss, and I watched them enjoy all they thought they had ever known, and it soothed my guilt slightly. But it never did cure it. I bore the burden of that knowledge, and I was happy to do so. Anything to let them be happy. Anything.

Compassion for Din's chosen, compassion for the poor man. Here, he was happy. On earth, he was torn apart by man and monster, never able to pull away from his unbearable curse. Always destined to fight against the odds, against the inevitable. I pitied him, heart always growing harder at Demise as I watched the man he cursed blossom.

Love for Farore's chosen. I could never deny it. Yet I never let my sisters know. Nayru, I was sure, could tell, but had never remarked upon it, for which I was grateful. She, at the least, knew the true reason I had given up my divinity, and the quenchless desire I felt for the Hero.

Confusion for Nayru's chosen. I was her, in every sense of the word; yet I was different than the other chosen ones. In the Sacred Realm, I retained my memories, and in life, they always returned. My sisters no longer treated me as a consort, discussing without me, yet I also retained my mental link to them. Sometimes I took my old form, sometimes I took her's; yet it never mattered. Perhaps it was simply to preserve what was left of me as Hylia, did my sisters refer to me as such; maybe they had an endgame I was not aware of.

As it turned out, they had more than an endgame - they had a plan.

**A/N: Yay I wrote more stuff! Thank you to anyone who read Instant Crush. So, a little about this new big story - I wanted to start off with all this headcannon of my ideas of the Sacred Realm and the relationships between the chosen and the gods. This story will be alot about origins of the goddesses, definitely the Fierce Deity, and hopefully I'll be able to add Majora and the like to the mix. A lot of this is speculation of course, but it'll all be in a regular narrative format. This will be an actual story...once I figure out the plot. I'll get there. I'm hoping on regular updates, but please review if you are interested, feel free to PM me ideas, anything! Thank you so much for reading.**

**Love, Ace**


	2. Chapter 2

Time, to the extent to which they were able, was controlled by my sisters. The stars rotated along their spread palms, their very whims. Fabricated sunsets, sunrises, and twilights followed suit, spinning to meet Din's red earth. Her chosen, in devotion, was always awed by her unliving masterpieces, which, however lifeless they were, always seemed to him to be breathing.

He, along with Farore's chosen, took no names in the Spiritual Realm, though they were to me at home what they were in life. When the goddesses - my sisters, once - addressed me, they never used the name Hylia in front of them. Generally, there was no need to distinguished who they were referring to, but it was still perplexing to me. Was I Zelda, or Hylia incarnate? Sometimes, I just chose not to care.

But I would be lying if I said I had never wished, while lying on my back in a green sea of luscious grass, to not know. I wished I could forget everything, as did Link and Ganondorf when they arrived, so I wouldn't have to look at them and see them both dying a thousand horrible deaths, each at each other's hands. I wouldn't have to remember Link coughing, gasping for air, blood spewing with every rasping word as he tried desperately to speak, to say goodbye. I wouldn't have to see Ganondorf, corrupted and twisted by Demise's will, scream in agony as the Master Sword, my own holy blade, that Goddess's weapon, bite through his flesh as though it were enjoying it. I wouldn't have to spend the rest of my days alone in the castle, trying to occupy myself with how to run my sisters' kingdom, but never truly being able to free myself from upsetting dreams that felt too real to be simply thought up…

In life, I never did remember my time in the Sacred Realm until close to the end of my life, with flashes blinding me generally when I was restarting my life. Then, with a revelation, my sisters would remind me of who I was and tell me it was time to return. I would obey, despite my own thoughts, even if I felt the time wasn't right, if I felt Hyrule still needed me. After all, my sisters knew best.

I had never taken to questioning them. I simply did as I was told, always feeling that coldness in Din's gaze as they busied themselves with protecting Hyrule, guilt for my weaknesses, my human weaknesses, freezing me to the core. I would never be revalued in her eyes.

_Hylia!_

_Hylia, you fool._

_Hylia, how could you?!_

How could I? How could I have fallen in love with a human, then nearly driven their shiny new creation to extinction just to protect him? How could I have risked Demise's coming, how could I have not been prepared? How could I have destroyed everything they worked for? They thought they trusted me! Oh, Hylia, you fool!

In my times on earth, I would hear stories of my sisters. Of course, at the time, I simply revered the Golden Goddesses along with everyone else, thinking kindly upon their grace, wisdom, and goodness. Never did I realize, until I returned, how wrong they were.

My sisters were divine beings, yes, goddesses, more powerful than all creation. They created life with their holy hands, so of course they were graceful, wise, and good. But I knew, as Hylia, how they were. I knew their faults. Their emotions were so very human, more so than they cared to understand. But I knew.

I knew how jealous one could get of another. I saw and felt how furious Din was with me. I watched petty arguments because they held grudges. I knew how human they were, how very real they were, when not held to the standard of goddess. They were arrogant for their powers, believing they didn't have much in common with their loyal subjects, their very creations - and why would they? They never walked among their people, heard their woes and their gaiety, their worries and exhilarations. They didn't know.

But I, Hylia, knew. I had once thought, while letting Ganondorf plait my golden strands (something I'd assumed he'd picked up from his sisters on earth), with irony, of calling myself Hylia, the Goddess of Time. Because was I not? I, unlike anybody else on this plane of existence (save my all-powerful sisters, of course), remembered everything. And yet I still considered myself more knowledgeable than them. I was among the people; I was a human, now, as well. And I alone knew their hearts, unlike my sisters; I knew the Sacred Realm as well. Was I not the Goddess of Time?

But by considering myself as such, my sisters now controlled me yet again.

_Hylia, you fool._

Was I truly the fool though? Was it so foolish to act the way I had been created? Was it foolish to feel alive, to live the life my graceful, wise, and good sisters had given me? Was it so foolish to live?

It was foolish to present them with a mirror they would only break.

And so, it was with all these lingering thoughts - _Hylia, Goddess of Time, of memories, memories no one else will carry, human memories - _puzzle pieces I couldn't quite connect did I finally learn of my sisters' grand scheme.

The twilight, created by my flaming sister for her pleasure, was drizzling down upon us as I stepped up to Ganondorf on the hill he so favored. It was toward one of the indigo oceans, a great long sand dune that fit him naturally. He loved all of Din's creations as much as she did, but in her fashion, she made them only for herself to enjoy, and I was sure if she realized how much her chosen liked them, she would have shielded them from his eyes. As it was, I was always curious of his particular fascination with the twilight - strange, that might subconsciously recall some parts of one of his past lives. It gave me some small, sadistic satisfaction to think maybe my sisters' spells weren't going as they planned.

"Hello, strong one," I greeted him, always looking forward to the grin he would give me when he heard my voice, his bright golden eyes positively shining.

But he didn't turn, flaming locks gently pressing to his bronze shoulders in the breeze, head staring straight on.

I didn't worry too much. He was a thinker, a man of almost divine intelligence (I often wondered if that was Din's purpose for choosing him), and was often lost in his thoughts. I routinely had him share with me the wanderings of his wordy mind, and he never failed to captivate me.

I continued to him, feeling my bare feet sink slightly into the warm sand, some grains clinging to my skirts desperately. His chest was bare, and I watched him breathe deeply in the ocean's scent, admiring his body. He was a huge man, taller than me by many feet, shoulders seemingly as broad as the horizon. He was a strikingly handsome man, with exotic looks seen only to me in some lifetimes, and so few I had almost forgotten. Dark and becoming, it had never surprised me Demise had chosen him to usurp. He could do much with a vessel as charming as this.

"Greetings, my king," I said warmly, when I was within eyeshot. He seemed to snap out of a daze at my usual nickname, though his eyes remained focused far away.

"Greetings, my lady," he returned, as usual, but his smooth voice was distant, golden orbs even further away.

I didn't answer, only nodded in acknowledgement as my eyebrows furrowed on my brow. His eyes flickered to me then, and I watched in growing anxiety as his lips began to move every so slowly.

"My king?"

Those eyes burned into me, as if truly seeing me for the first time. I had never seen such a look in his eyes - not here, anyway…

"My king," he murmured back, licking his lips slowly. "My king…"

I watched in amazement as something sparked in his eyes, and they focused back on me.

"They used to call me that… _my king…_"

My lips parted, my jaw fell. He knew. _He remembered._

"Didn't they, _Zelda_?"

Eyes wide in fear, I turned and ran, unable to understand the look in those firery eyes. He knew.

_He knew!_

And whether or not by the goddesses' divine plane, he remembered who he was.

He was Ganondorf.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_YOU KNEW _

Skies, fields, lands of infinite beauty slid past me in frantic daze as I ran, bleeding into each other, sliced from Ganondorf's furious anger, a rage I never knew could be in him if not for Demise.

YOU KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME!

My eyes grew red as my breathing grew tired. I prayed briefly for my feet to grow swift, if I was to outrun the man transforming into monster behind me, growing taller with every anguished yell, sending out waves of gold so thick they almost blinded me. I had never seen such power, and had certainly never possessed it; he was surely more of a god than I had ever been.

WHY DID YOU SEND ME TO DIE?!

I had to reach Din. Was she ignoring my terrified cries?! Would she leave me to - die? Death? I did not know what fate would await me if I were to fall into the vicious hands of the tortured being behind me, but I knew it would be worse than any death I had ever faced before.

His primal screams reverberated through all of our heads as I finally reached my sisters' throne room, where I was strictly not allowed. Here, my sisters played their little games of chess, using their live pawns for added fun. With the gates sealed, I was unable to enter or hear their telepathic words, which explained how they were unaware of the current situation.

The imposing golden doors stood closed in front of me, even taller than Ganondorf, but with his breath hot in my hair I threw them open with no regard for their 'necessary' secrets, as they'd once told me.

Heaving, I stood in the doorway, hands wrapped around my abdomen as I fought for the words I ran so hard for.

"He remembers."

Then I dropped to the ground, both out of sheer exhaustion and instinct as I felt an incredible wave of heat rumble toward me. In amazement, I watched as the monstrous, otherworldly form of Ganon flew over me, belonging absolutely to Demise in mind and body. Fear chilled me suddenly to the deepest parts of my old soul, until I realized I was not his target. I never had been.

Ganon pounded through the cathedral's grand hallway, then halted abruptly in front of the goddesses, face a twisted mockery of who he had been, electricity cackling in the air around his gigantic form. His muscles were tensed and shaking with adrenaline, rage, and pure animalistic power, veins throbbing impatiently in every part of his body. He was garish, dark, and twistedly ostentatious in this realm of light and gold, proudly displaying the blemishes of the world those goddesses were never able to fix.

My sisters stood tall, erect, and proud, the magnificent colors leading up to their thrones shimmering so vividly they looked as though they were swimming. The effect trailed up to the goddesses, their bodies incredibly hard to focus on, hair floating languidly around them as though in water. I was confused until I realized it was sheer power they were filling themselves with, a power I no longer recognized. Briefly I felt an ache in my heart, amidst the terror and shock, for my old body, my old power, so I could help my sisters once again, prove to them I had not failed, would not fail…

Din stepped forward, eyes gleaming solid gold, the air positively burning around her now. Heavenly flames, red as her hair, and her chosen's alike, swirled dangerously around her limbs as she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, waiting for Ganon to make a move.

_What will you do, child?_ Her voice was quiet, but so heavy with scorn.

I watched as Ganon seemed to shrink, then catch himself and roared mightily in her face. _WHY?! _he bellowed, and even from behind I could see his body shake harder with rage, readying himself. I began to fear for Din's safety.

Din did not answer, but instead began to rise until she towered over her chosen, fire now licking her, and for the first time, I saw flames in her eyes.

_ANSWER ME, _he cried, and ripped at the colors eating at him with a huge forepaw, almost like a child throwing a fit. It would have been humorous had it not been for the pure anguish in his voice, and I heard my king again, my Ganondorf, inside of that monster who wanted to rip out my sisters' throats. I heard the man beg to know why his goddess, whom he loved, would hurt him the way she had, and a part of me wanted to cry out in unison.

_WHY HAVE YOU SENT ME TO THIS FATE?! _he screamed again, but Din's eyes simply bored down into his, trying to force the surrender we all knew wouldn't come. I didn't want to stay back here, watching the scene unfold. I wanted to help, to cure that burning curiosity inside of me as well, to get my king back. But I knew it was too late, and it would be futile - my sisters thought me nothing but a fool. Hadn't I learned my lesson last time?

So I held my tongue, a cowardly move I would never forget.

But something in my thoughts must have caught Din's attention, for she took less than a second to glance at me. That fire seemed to transfer itself into my soul, and a few things happened all at once:

Sensing her confusion, Ganon leapt into the air with supernatural strength, launching his full weight at Din in her distraction; Nayru sped toward me with equally supernatural quickness, and threw her body in front of mine; and a piercing cry of "_Zelda!" _split my head with its loudness.

_Zelda!_ Nayru yelled, a sea of blues and whites surrounding me as she encased me in some sort of diamond-like shield. _Are you okay? What's going on?!_

Her words fell deaf to my reasoning as we both stared at the war raging in front of us.

Din was engulfed in flames, flickering brilliant, blinding reds and oranges as her body was consumed, an unearthly roar tearing from her divine throat as Ganon dodged her attacks, swiping at her unprotected body. He was nimble for his huge stature, and either impervious or indifferent to the fire that swathed his fur when he got too close. The smell of burning flesh hung in the stilled air of the throne room, Din's determined sneer and Ganon's incensed glare competing for fierceness against their brutal fight. Both were fighting to kill, though Din seemed at a bit of a loss as to Ganon's resistance to flame, flinching every time Ganon got a swipe on her. Gods didn't bleed, of course, but where his razor claws met her skin, the area was unable to relight, and as a result, she was rapidly losing the intensity of her protection.

Farore had lurched to Din's defense as soon as Ganon had lunged, but Din's furious cries of _STAY OUT OF THIS_ had prevented her from doing much else besides hovering closely. Had it been anyone else, the other sister would have ignored the threat, but no one questioned Din, especially not in a battle so personal.

The war of words fuming in between their minds was equally intense. Focusing on the fight, the two deities seemed to forget the rest of us, minds battling for dominance and truth in a terrifying standoff that felt far too intimate for us to hear. Ganon's agony was torment to us all, feeling it so raw and real we flinched when he stumbled, roared when he cried. Din's wrath was biting and hard, fighting him on every accusation he made, every plea for truth, her indignation and fury increasing with every new detail his rapidly restoring memory brought to light. She set these truths aflame, just as she burned his limb here and there, twisted his skin, broke his bones to become victorious, despite her swiftly failing fire.

Link was by my side then, and I realized, tearing my eyes away from the war for as much time as I could allow, that the cry of 'Zelda' had been his. His eyes were bright, with a discernment that was usually reserved for other lives. The fog of rest and retribution was gone, and the fire that I always associated with Din seemed to be burning inside him as well, with a vengeance that made my own fire burn my stomach with terror.

Farore shot him a look from her side of the battle, and despite not being able to hear their mental communication, I knew exactly what it meant. And from the expression on Link's face, he didn't like it.

Then, a deafening scream to both our minds and our ears -

Din sank to the floor, flames of every color licking her body tenderly, spots here and there painfully, obviously devoid of flames were jagged gold and ripped flesh was exposed - and before we could blink a towering wave of a black shadow leapt over us, out the throne room, keening wails mixed with despairing roars following close behind. Iridescent droplets blended with sickeningly scarlet blood along us and the marble floors, trailing to where Ganon had fled and back to the dying goddess in front of us.

Din was hurt.

**A/N: Sorry it's been a long time coming, guys! I really do want to keep up with this, and I think I finally have found the time, so here's the newest update. This one was almost done for a while, but I never got back to this. Hopefully I will be able to have regular updates! Thank you guys so much for reading, please leave a review if you are interested! Thanks again!**

**Ace**


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